A Run From the Start
by Sakura Fletcher
Summary: Starts in season 1 of TMNT 2003. What would it be like if the Turtles had also encountered a unique teenager, Kaela O'Neil, the younger cousin to April O'Neil? And in some ways she is entangled in the events that the Turtles go through. OC/?, not sure at this point. T for now.


**I own only the OCs mentioned here. And it is the best that I could come up with. Also, my OC is Kaela (Kay-La) if you're wondering.**

* * *

Being a teenager is hard enough, being a teenage mutant ninja turtle was harder and Michaelangelo could attest to that. So when he spied the teenage girl in April's apartment, sacked out and a set of drawing supplies next to her on the floor with a sketch book, sketches of blades and swords. Proportions and things of that nature listed out with each drawing. The orange bandanna wearing turtle reached down and picked the sketchbook up.

A cough escaped the girl that was laying on the couch. Mikey froze, looking up as she twisted over onto her side facing out towards where the television was playing but on low. If she woke up to find a turtle literally in her face, there would be a freak out moment. And slowly her eyes opened, Mikey's breath caught and there was a moment where it seemed like time sort of faded. It was just the two of them looking at each other.

"Uh, hi." He said, knowing all too well what had happened the last time he came face to face with a human.

"Hi." She answered, blinking. "Are you a turtle?"

"Of the teenage mutant ninja kind. My name is Michaelangelo, but you can call me Mikey." He smiled, standing up. Giving her the space she probably needed. "So, you're not scared are you?"

"I'm more sick than scared." She answered honestly, slowly blinking. "So you know my cousin April, right?"

"April's your cousin?" Mikey asked, settling down on the floor while picking up the notebook again. "Are you living with her?"

"When I am not being asked to go out and create swords and weapons for collectors." She rubbed her arm. "I was trained by a master sword smith in Japan, he's what started the trend for me."

"Really, that's so cool." Mikey's voice rose, causing her to cringe. "Huh? Oh sorry. I didn't meant to, uh…"

"I have a sinus infection, my head is clogged, which means that if someone yells, it reverberates in my head. Kind of like if you stuck your head in a big bell and someone rings it, that's what I mean."

"Oh, cymbals in your ears. I had that once, Dudette." He smiled at her. "I was sick a shell when that happened. Got me out of three days of training."

"Training?" She asked, coughing slightly as she shuddered.

"Are you cold, dudette?" Mikey asked, seeing the way her shoulders shook.

"My name is Kaela, and yeah, I am cold."

"My bro is working on the heater. But…" Mikey looked around and smiled. Standing up he went to a nearby chair and picked up a blanket. "Here, use this."

He draped it over Kaela and stepped back slightly. She snuggled in the blanket, trying to get comfortable.

"You know, maybe you should go to bed, I mean your bed." Mikey suggested.

"Too sick to move, don't really care." She responded as she seemed to ease up a little.

And then she fell asleep, her breathing gargled because of the congestion she had in her head and sinuses. There really wasn't much Mikey could do now, and it wasn't like she would remember talking to a giant turtle.

"Yo, hey, April, who's the the girl sleeping on your couch?" Mikey asked as he entered the antique shop.

April O'Neil was one of Mikey's few human friends, besides Casey Jones. But wrangling four mutant turtles and the gorilla hands of Casey wasn't easy for the redhead woman.

"Jones, I swear!" She screeched at the dark haired man. "I'm one step from kicking you out of here."

It was Mikey's brother Leonardo that really caught on to what Mikey had said. "Wait, what girl?"

"Girl? Please, Mikey, please tell me you didn't let her see you?" April, having abandoned her tirade against their man friend, looked at the orange clad turtle.

"Uh, she and I had a conversation. I think she's sick, she didn't sound good at all. But she didn't scream at me if you think that's what happened." Mikey said, scratching his head. "She's a good artist. She said that she makes blades. See?" He held up one of her notebooks that he had brought down with him.

Raphael grabbed the notebook and looked at a few pages. "Yeah, so?"

"Blades, Raph, she makes Katanas and stuff like that."

"Really?" Donatello asked, coming into the store having heard most of the conversation.

In light of the situation, Leo glanced back at where the stairs that led from the store to the apartment overhead. He didn't see anyone lingering up there.

"She's sick, Leo." April said as if knowing what he was thinking. "Caught a bad cold or something after coming from her last trip to Japan."

"Is she ninja trained?" The leader of the four turtles asked.

"Not in the least. Her training is in making weapons, blades, knives and stuff like that. She's a sort of prodigy when it comes to that sort of stuff." April rubbed her face. "I don't know what her position on you guys. Maybe she won't remember talking to a giant talking turtle. What were you doing up there anyway, Mikey?"

"Uh," he grinned slightly. "I got hungry from moving all of those antiques."

"Oh, Mikey." Raph groaned.

"I guess only time will tell if she will remember. She is sick after all, that's what you said, April." Donnie said.

"I hope so." Now April was the one looking at the stairs. "I really hope so."

An hour later, when the work in the store was finished- or mostly demolished because of Casey's and Mikey's klutzy tendencies- they decided to call it a night.

"Thank goodness. I don't think I could handle much more." April said, seeing to it that Casey left first.

"Goodnight, April." Leo said, also heading towards the back door.

"Actually, could you guys do me a favor and stay the night?" She asked the four turtles. "I'll make sure Kaela is in her room before you guys settle in okay."

"I couldn't sleep." The teenager said as she descended the stairs.

To say that the tension was thick was not lying. There was the teenage redhead who had the blanket she fell asleep with draped over her shoulders. She stood on the stairs, one hand holding the blanket together around her shoulders as the other kept her balance.

"Kaela what are you doing down here?"

"Mikey took one of my sketchbooks, I'd like to have it back. My assignment for a big business firm is in there and they want it in by tomorrow or I won't get paid."

Each turtle stiffened as the girl, a wisp of a thing that was just about as big as their Master Splinter. Her red hair flowed down her back, a curtain of sorts to anyone who noticed. She wore red and black silk pajama and her feet bare. Even in the dim lighting they could see her stark white skin and her sickly state she was in.

"Nice jammies." Raph said as she approached Mikey.

"I need my sketchbook back, Mikey. Please." She held out one hand to him.

"Oh, yeah." He turned to the cashier counter and picked it up. "Sorry, Dudette." He said as he handed it back to her.

She shrugged. "I don't mind you looking through my artwork but don't take anything that doesn't belong to you. I'm going back to sleep." Kaela turned to leave but looked over her shoulder at the turtle. "There is some leftover pizza in the fridge if you want some."

"Pizza, ooh thanks, Dudette." That thought cheered the turtle right up.

"If you insist on calling me that, do it when I don't have a headache the size of Texas."

"Kaela, you're not afraid of them?" April asked, reaching out to her younger cousin.

She sighed and looked up and over at April. "I was startled at first, April. But…I can understand why you would keep them a secret from me. I'd have done the same thing, to keep their secret at least. In this day and age, it's difficult to trust someone, anyone with your life."

And with that she walked up the stairs, hopefully to get some sleep.

* * *

Even though she had one heck of a headache, Kaela knew she had to deal with a few things. Getting up in the morning was tiring, she wanted to do nothing more than crawl back under her covers and sleep the day away. But with an appointment to keep, she knew it was best to get up. After all, it was her discovery that prompted the meeting with Oroku Saki in the first place.

Stumbling out of her bedroom, though the front room looked like a mess there was no sign of four large turtles anywhere.

"April?" Kaela asked, looking around the small two bedroom apartment she shared with her cousin.

"In the kitchen, Kae!"

Sure enough there was April, making a cup of coffee. Suppressing the urge to gag, Kaela decided to lay out what was going to happen that day.

"I have a business appointment with some high ranking businessman today." She said, rubbing that tender spot on her neck.

"But you're sick, Kaela. You can't spread yourself thin."

"It's just one appointment. The guy is very interested in that artifact that I found in Japan. The one that I sold to the History Museum."

"What's so important about that sword?"

"Besides claiming to be cursed, I don't know." She sighed. "But I have no rights to it anymore. I wasn't just going to keep it and let it gather dust. Historical artifacts need to be appreciated by everyone. And with school starting soon, I don't think I can do much more of any traveling."

"You're right. Where do you plan on heading next?"

"I was thinking Europe this winter, their museums over there need some reconstructing of their ancient weapons on display."

"Don't they have any sword smiths that they can call on?"

"Not as good as me. Since Mom and Dad are gone, their skills have been passed down to me. Keeping the tradition alive, especially in my mom's side of the family is something I want to carry on to my children." She sighed. "If I ever have children that is."

Cousin April's father was the brother of Kaela's father. Both of them had O'Neil as their last names. Then there was the fact that April's family was built up with adventurers and archaeologists, save for the fact that April's father ran an antique store.

"Uncle Augie would be happy with what you're doing, Kaela."

"Thanks. I hope so, too. I'm going to get ready for my appointment." She stood up and was about ready to leave the kitchen when she stopped. "Hey, uh, April, I wasn't dreaming last night was I? You had four mutant turtles as friends, right?"

"If I told you no, would you believe me?" April asked.

"Honestly, no I wouldn't believe you." Kaela said. "Mikey, the surfer dude, he's kind of…"

"Odd, strange, a little loose in the head."

"Well, I was going to say unique. I was getting major vibes off of the red one though. Not that he's bad or whatnot, but he seems…he seems guarded."

"Living life as a mutant ninja turtle would have to be a part of it. Mikey, well he likes everyone, or at least he wants to be the first to make friends. I think you were the first they've encountered that didn't call them monsters or freaks."

"I had good teachers for that."

Kaela decided to get ready. She'd been in a lot of business meetings so she knew how to dress to impress. Granted, wearing dresses wasn't her favorite thing, or wearing makeup at the very least, was not something Kaela preferred as she looked at her coal colored suit set in her hands. But this is the price she had to pay for being an acclaimed sword smith in the modern age.

"How was the rest of the night, April? Why did you want the four turtles to spend the night?" Kaela asked when she walked out into the front room, pulling her hair up into a bun on top of her head.

April was straightening up from when the guys stayed over for their brief slumber party. While straightening the pillows on the couch, April sighed.

"Well, you see, there was a rash of robberies in the area. I invited them over because I didn't feel safe you know. Casey managed to warn the guys that there was a robber but it was sort of a robot that stopped Casey. The oaf managed to get himself hurt in the process. The guys went off after it and Donnie said that he would be back later tonight to continue fixing up the heater."

"Are they okay?"

"The are turtles? I'm sure they are. I mean, they do have a bit more padding and defense than we do."

Kaela didn't contest to that statement. Making sure she had all the papers and pictures, anything else that she may need for that appointment. She really wasn't sure what Oroku Saki wanted to talk to her about, or the reason why he had been so interested in that sword she found in Japan, but it was worth a lot to him. Granted she told him that she'd already sold it to a museum, but he wanted proof of it's existence. The only proof there was, was from her.

"Saki said that he would pay for my cab ride to his office building." She said as she stood at the door. "It's the least he could do when I told him I didn't need to get picked up for the meeting."

"That was nice of him. When do you think you'll be back?" April asked.

"I'm not sure. A few hours at the least. Hopefully it will be sooner because of this cold." Kaela opened the door as she said this.

"Well, just remember, Donnie is coming over tonight."

"Thanks, I'll remember that."

And with that she closed the door and headed down to street level.

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**With my last story sort of coming up short of where I want it to go, this one just popped into my head. I hope you guys like it. Any thoughts and suggestions will be greatly appreciated because I have little to no idea where this is going to go, or who is going to be with who at this point.**


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